


Over the Garden Wall

by Opheline



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Titans (Shingeki no Kyojin), Armin is a ball of sunshine, Eremin bromance, Eren is punched nearly by everyone, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, I promise, Levi is a linguistics professor, They're just friends, adult years, except for the Jaegers, friendship dynamics, slight angst, slightly inspired by the Over the Garden Wall cartoon, teenage years, the Titans are a basketball team, the whole neighbourhood hates the Arlerts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:08:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24795940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Opheline/pseuds/Opheline
Summary: "Armin Arlert was like one of the many silent creatures in the forest behind the mansion he lived in: he was there, but he was not visible to the eye.[...]Everybody treated the Arlerts like they were some sort of family soap opera to keep up with, spreading rumours and second guessing every single step they took; everyone but the Jaegers."
Comments: 1
Kudos: 10





	1. Part One

« _My face is full of spiderwebs, all tender yellow blue  
And still with one eye open, well, all I see is you  
I left my daydreams at the gate because I just can't take 'em too  
Know my heart still has a suitcase, but I still can't take it through_»

**Halsey** \- Clementine

The Arlerts had always been considered a peculiar family, in the district of Shinganshina. They lived in the enormous mansion in front of the local high school and they used to lead a very private life. They did not seem to have any friends in the neighbourhood, mostly because they were always somewhere around the world, due to their travelling careers. Mr. Arlert was a journalist and he was constantly on the move, looking for leads for his next good cause to advocate. Mrs. Arlert was a writer for a travel magazine and many travelling agencies offered her free travel experiences, so that she would leave a positive feedback about them in her articles. They were considered one of the richest families in the district, but apparently, nobody ever managed to catch them, even if only to chit chat about the weather.

One thing was known, though: they had a son. He was an only child; his name was Armin. He was home-schooled and the whole neighbourhood assumed that he was living with a nanny and the rest of the housekeeping staff, sporadically enjoying his parents’ company anytime they could fly to their hometown. The people in Shinganshina never saw him, though. There were lots of urban legends about him, many of them being extremely creative and imaginative: some said that the kid’s appearance was so hideous, they had to keep him secluded not to scare the children around the district; or that his body bore terrible scars all around and that he was not as smart as the rest of the kids. Other sources were almost certain that he never existed in the first place, being a delusion of his weird parents. Either way, Armin Arlert was like one of the many silent creatures in the forest behind the mansion he lived in: he was there, but he was not visible to the eye. Sometimes, he could be heard, though.

The garden of St. Rose High was separated from the manor by a wall of climbing plants and lemon trees, which screened both buildings to each other, leaving only a small number of openings where the light used to filter from. There was a silent agreement between the neighbouring family and the dean, to not replace the plants with actual bricks and concrete, since the students were taught not to approach the plants and disturb the family’s privacy. Even though, nobody was immune to the fascination of mystery and some of the undergraduates tried to steal glances to the life of the most secluded family in Shinganshina. A few first years even heard Armin play with his dog, from time to time. They said that his voice was shrill and almost inaudible, like the one that could have belonged to a ghost. The boldest ones tried to peep through the spaces left by the branches of the plants, but to no avail: they only managed to see a creamy Labrador dog happily running around, while holding a wooden stick between its teeth.

Everybody treated the Arlerts like they were some sort of family soap opera to keep up with, spreading rumours and second guessing every single step they took; everyone but the Jaegers. They never took part in the neighbourhood gossip and shot side glances to whoever they heard spreading some foul story about them. Grisha and Carla thought that ill-speaking was a definitely poor method to catch attention and conceal a principle of inferiority complex, so they abstained themselves from participating in such sick diversions. Their kid, Eren Jaeger, was a first-year at St. Rose High and was told multiple times not to go peek at the holes in the branches, because it would have been absolutely rude and impolite of him.

«The Arlerts are not a circus, therefore you will not go to the garden wall and look for them like the other foolish kids in your class» stated Grisha, before drinking his coffee during breakfast. He kept eye contact with his son while swallowing his hot beverage, just to make sure he would not miss any reply. But when the boy kept on being silent, he tried to nudge him again. «Did I make myself clear, Eren?» he asked, putting the cup down. It would have been the first day of high school, for his son, so he preferred to state that rule before his classmates would have tried to change the brunet’s mind. Eren just looked at him with his wide, emerald eyes and nodded a couple times. And that was it.

Almost a year passed and the boy never approached the branches and trees, even when his classmates dared him to do so or almost forced him. That was, until the class bully literally sent him flying against the wooden wall with a punch.

It all started during recess, when Nick Woofer tried to corner him again to force him to climb up the wall and peak inside the mansion. Eren was not that tall and his complexion was thin and bony-sharp, so the branches would not have collapsed under his weight. He also demonstrated to be pretty agile during gym class, which made him the perfect fit for the task. Nick was the firstborn son of the Woofers, an influent family in Shinganshina, who always felt offended because the Arlerts never paid them any kind of favouritism by lavishing them with attention, gifts and courtesies. They were just treated like everybody else, with no ounce of privilege, and that cut deep into their self-inflated egos. The Arlerts had to pay, to be exposed and rendered the laughing stock of the neighbourhood. So, the Woofers brainwashed their own son, convincing him to climb the garden wall. But alas, he was too thick and uncoordinated to pull it off without breaking it down. So, the boy had to find out another way to accomplish his mission. Which was where Eren Jaeger came in the frame. He was perfectly up to the task: the trump card hidden up his sleeve. All that took was just one look, and the Arlert would have been no mystery for Shinganshina anymore. Problem was, Jaeger could not be persuaded in collaborating to do so. He refused and battled the bully until his last straw of physical energy, not to go near the garden wall. That day in particular, his determination made Nick lose it: he punched Eren’s nose with such brute force to ricochet his body up against the branches. His painful scream rallied up a loud cacophony of deriding laughs from Nick and his friends, who found it way too amusing to follow up with a proper beating.

«How you like it now, Jaeger?» Asked one of Nick’s minions. «Daddy is gonna be _so_ mad when you get home, look! You’re touching the wall!» And he kept on laughing until the bell rang, signalling the end of recess for the day. The bullies spared him one last amused look and turned back to the school entrance, gathering up with the other students. Eren watched them go, still laying down with his back against the branches. His head was ringing and the sharp pain coming from the side of his nose and the upper lip was beginning to be overbearing, for him. _Why do their brains have to be so full of shit?_ , he asked himself. What was it about the Arlert family that pissed them so much off? Were not they just like the other families? Why obsess so much over _other people_? He would have probably never known. But he found it absolutely stupid and pointless and he wished to be at least tall as his father, so that he could have kicked that damned bully out to the curb. 

«Assholes» he murmured, while gritting his teeth and wiping off the blood which dripped from his bruised nostrils, scrubbing it with his wrist. He was just about to get up, when a pale hand came out from the branches, holding a perfectly clean handkerchief. He looked at the hand, blinking in visible confusion. Was he having delusions due to the punch?

«Take it, you’re bleeding» said then a concerned voice, from the other side of the wall. Eren just did as he was told, grabbing the tender fabric with his bloodied fingers and dirtying it immediately. He brought it near his nose to clean his face, when he sensed a delicate honey perfume coming from the white cloth. It smelled like the biscuits his grandmother used to do when he was very little, bringing the happy childhood memory to come overwhelmingly into his puzzled mind.

«You can keep it, I have lots of them» said the voice again, pulling him off of his walk down memory lane. Eren was just about to reply, when the clear sound of hands patting on fabric announced that the other person was probably just standing up. «Go now, or you’ll be late for class» the voice urged, coming from a rather higher angle. The brunet nodded, uncapable of making sense of any of what was happening to him. Who was talking to him from the other side of the wall? But, most importantly, how much did that person see, of his beating? He turned his face to the opening in the branch to ask the voice, but the muffled sound of steps walking away resonated in his ear, which was pressed to the wood. That person just went away, leaving him alone with a bruised nose and a handkerchief full of blood, in his fingers.

Eren sighed and got up a little too fast, as the vertigo feeling immediately clouded his vision and painfully clutched his temples. He had to support himself with his hand on the branches, catching his breath. He closed his eyes up until the headache left him, a few seconds later, then he was more or less ready to go. He looked up at the handkerchief he was still holding in the other hand and the sunrays reverberated on some golden threads on an embroidered letter. Eren then noticed that the cloth held two initials: A. A. That was probably the name of the voice which helped him in the aftermath of his beating. Bearing it in mind, he shot one last glance at the branches and trees before going back to class, hiding the handkerchief in his back pocket.

«Eren, this is silk!» Cried Carla, examining the dirtied piece of cloth that her son handed her, moments after telling her why he was sporting such an unsettling black eye. «And this kind of embroidery is only made for the very wealthy families, you know?» She added, bringing the letters closer to her face, while studying their outlining. Eren just rolled his eye and kept the bag of ice upon the other, which he kept closed, not getting half the excitement his mother was displaying. The only thing that mattered to him, was that a stranger in that house helped him and probably saw him being pathetically being beaten to a pulp. His cheeks went slowly red for the embarrassment. He hated being seen while getting the short side of the stick every time. Most of all, he hated not being able to give back what he always received for free. It was not like he provoked them, or that he just walked out the door, looking for troubles: he simply happened to walk in on abusing behaviours and he would have never been able to sit still, in seeing them. Problem was, he always got double the kicks and the punches, because his skinny and angry appearance just happened to irritate the bullies even more. They especially hated his harmonious and fair features, they used to call him “pretty face” while punching him. It was not really his fault he inherited those big emerald eyes and plump lips, along with the sun-kissed skin and the confident attitude. His hair was of a chocolate shade of brown and messy bangs fell upon his forehead, framing his face in a nice way, making many of the schoolgirls spare a second, dreamy look at him. That was one more reason he was so hated by bullies, because he was successful with the girls, without even trying. 

«I have to wash this so you can return it, we cannot keep such expensive fabric with us as a token of pity» reflected Carla, ripping Eren off of his musings. «And make sure to thank whoever handed this to you, regardless of what the others might have said about them» she added, frowning. His mother made a big fuss about those bullies being mean at him just because he refused to see the Arlerts as they did. She said something about being biased and narrow-minded, but Eren did not pay much of attention to her ramblings, or else he would have gained a worse headache than the one he was already suffering from.

«Whatever» said the boy, pulling the ice bag off of his face. «I’ll go tomorrow after school, okay?» he added then, going to his room and leaving his mother alone with the handkerchief.

The school day just slid on Eren like water on a smooth surface. He dragged himself over classes without being able to take a single note of what had been said, being too busy trying to give a face to the voice behind the wall. He luckily caught the attention of teachers and classmates for his black eye and that kept the bullies from pestering him again. He had also been spared because he decided not to go out in the garden, during that recess. He even declined the invitation from one of the prettiest girls in class, which gained the courage to talk to him with the excuse of being worried for his eye. Just the thought of going out there and being probably seen by the stranger, made him blush in shame.

The handkerchief that was sitting in his back pocket felt suddenly heavier than a boulder, because of the social implication that it carried. He was lowkey hoping he could hand it over to one of the housekeepers and get going, pretending that never happened in the first place. Carla managed to make the cloth look immaculate again, so it really could have been like nothing happened. The only problem was that it lost its honey perfume, being replaced by the citron essence of his mother’s cleaning oils. _Good grief_ , Eren sighed, playing absentmindedly with a pen.

He was not fretted by the fact that he was probably going to meet a member of the Arlert family, but he could not prevent the number of stories he heard, about their son, from clouding his brain. Judging from the voice behind the branches, it could not have been Mr. Arlert for sure, he sounded like a teenage boy. Maybe it was one of the youngest helpers in the house, or a relative. What if the Arlerts had more than one son and nobody knew? It would not have necessarily been _that_ son, the one who was supposedly looking like a monster and talking like a ghost.

Hearing his own thoughts, Eren shook his head violently, which painfully resonated in his injured cavities. He closed his eyes, letting hurt come to him in waves. _Who cared about what they said about the Arlerts’ son_. His parents taught him better than that and he knew it. He would have just rung the bell, handed over the piece of clothing, said a couple of nonsensical thankfully words and that would have been it. No drama. No stupid thoughts.

«I hope I can pull it off» he murmured, putting the pen away and ruffling his own chocolate hair, slightly frustrated.

_He could not pull it off_. He had been standing in front of the mansion’s gate for five straight minutes, without being able to move a single muscle. All he had to do, was to just press his finger on the bell button, an embarrassingly easy action, even for a toddler. Problem was, that he was being eaten alive by the embarrassment. He was usually so aloof and hot-headed, he never thought twice about anything and took every decision by his belly, but that task was beginning to be extremely difficult for him.

Feeling stupid for standing there by the gate like a creep, he finally pressed his index finger on the button, swallowing the lump in his throat and almost choking on it. He heard noises coming from inside the mansion and doors being opened with squeaking of linchpins. He tried to muster up some decent confidence by straightening his back and keeping his head high, but it all came down in shambles, when he saw who was coming to see him.

A boy his age, or maybe slightly younger, was walking towards him with curiosity painted on his delicate features. The sun played with the golden, straight hair of his bowl cut, while it waved following his movements, like a wheat field being caressed by the fingers of the wind. His complexion was fair, almost noble-like: big ocean eyes shimmering with a spark of interest, the rosy shade tinting his cheeks extended over the tip of his nose, being exalted by the pale colour of his skin. Fleshy lips, curled in what could have been the prelude of a smile, highlighted his good intensions, while the tapping of his expensive glossy shoes signalled the shortening distance between them. He was dressed simply, but with elegance: a creamy white shirt tugged in green trousers hid a delicate frame which looked a tad shorter than Eren’s. The young prince stopped a few steps before the gate, crossing his hands behind his back and inclining his head a little bit, studying the dumbfounded brunet at the other side of the entrance.

«You’re the student who got punched, yesterday» said blondie, immediately recognizing him. Eren’s heart fell miserably into his stomach, while uncomfortable embarrassment ate out his anxiety. So, it was _him_ who helped him. _He_ was the voice. Good to know.

«What can I do for you? Do you need ice over that eye?» Asked the boy, studying the blackish skin around Eren’s eyelid. He was undoubtedly worried, but the brunet overheard a note of sass behind his worried tone. Keeping his eyes glued to the ground, his cheeks starting to catch fire. He would have _not_ stood idly by while the Little Prince made fun of him, he needed to get going. His hand reached for his back pocket and he handed over the handkerchief between the vertical bars of the gate. A moment passed before he heard blondie’s shoes tapping towards him.

«You washed it?» He asked, taking it from his hands. His fingers lightly brushed against Eren’s. They felt soft and delicate, like the rest of him. «I told you to keep it» he added, shrugging. The brunet saw his shadow follow up his movements on the ground, stubbornly refusing to look at him.

«My name is Eren Jaeger. Thank you for helping me, yesterday» Eren said, mechanically. «Now, I better get…»

«Do you want to come in?» he got interrupted by the boy’s words, which finally managed to make him break eye contact with the grass and focus his emerald eyes on his face. He was smiling, almost _glowing_. His whole face radiated light, like a small bundle of sunshine. It was almost blinding to see.

«What?» stuttered the brunet, blinking with visible confusion. Blondie opened the gate, pulling the heavy iron bars towards him with no evident effort. Overwhelmed by the unexpectedly bold interactions, Eren took half a step back but it was not enough to keep the young enthusiast away.

«Oh come on, I’m always alone in here, you’re the first visitor I’ve had in… forever» explained the boy, and, much to the brunet’s shock, he grabbed his hand and dragged him along the garden behind him. His grip was firm but not painfully strong, while his skin was as soft as the texture of flower petals. Maybe that was what being an aristocrat meant. «I’m Armin Arlert, by the way» he announced with a smile, turning his face to Eren while walking.

In that very moment, Eren’s world turned upside down. _That_ was _Armin Arlert_? The Arlerts’ only child, the main character of all those unsettling stories, the alleged _monster_? On second thought, it figured with those initials embroidered on the handkerchief, “A. A.”. _I should have known better_ , he thought, while watching the small back figure of Armin walk enthusiastically along the garden and towards the mansion, carrying him by the hand like they were the best of friends, not just strangers who met seconds before. Armin Arlert. Shinganshina’s most discussed mystery.

Armin Arlert was nothing like the gossip said. His hair smelled like honey and his skin held the same perfume of apricots. He was kind and a tender smile seldom left his lips. He was a curious soul, which loved reading books and looking at landscape paintings, for hours. He also played the piano, even though he did not enjoy doing so very much.

Eren was having a hard time concealing the shock. After being carried away by the blondie, he was introduced to some of the household staff and brought straight to the boy’s room. It was an extremely large space, filled up with bookshelves and canvasses standing near the naked easel, some of them left to dry. The space was overall simply furnished, nothing exceptionally peculiar stood out, just up until Eren took a look to the ceiling. It was painted with constellations, which were traced with a special painting that glowed in the dark. Seeing the brunet drop his jaw in awe, Armin laughed.

«Do you like them?» He asked, following his gaze. «They’re my best friends. They keep me company, at night, when the real ones aren’t visible» he explained, softly. Those words brought Eren back to Earth, which could not keep a question for himself. He had been musing it since the blond started discussing his interests and making intelligent remarks about what the brunet said, from time to time.

«Why are you not attending our school? Do you go somewhere else?» He questioned, averting his gaze and pointing his emerald eyes at Armin. He proved to be rather intelligent, much more than the bullies who used to beat him for sure. He also would have probably enjoyed the company of many of their classmates, who were overall decent people. The brunet just did not understand why he had to live such a secluded life, like that. None of the legends were true, he did not need to hide himself from the rest of the world, so why bother staying put? Armin kept silent for a second, before shrugging.

«I’m home-schooled, I have tutors coming here every day to teach me arithmetic, literature, critical thinking, geography and, you know, other subjects» he stated, keeping his gaze up to the ceiling. «My parents did not want to send me to school, because they said that we would probably transfer somewhere else before I turn seventeen, so» he added. «They did not want me to attach myself too much to this place».

Eren saw his eyes dull for a brief second and he wondered if that was entirely true. It seemed utterly pointless to him, avoiding attachment in order not to suffer later on. It was not the right way to live life and he could tell Armin was _not_ okay with it either. He grasped his hand in the garden like he would have done with a life-saving branch while falling down a precipice. That boy wanted friends. He _needed_ friends.

«Come here, I’ll show you my favourite thing in the world» said the blond, finally taking his eyes off the ceiling and smiling at Eren. The brunet followed him while he climbed a ladder and reached a tall section of one of the many bookshelves which decorated the wall, extracting a rather large and old book from the line. He came down with an agile jump, keeping the tome to his chest. He then opened it and looked for a particular page, shuffling the old and fragile sheets with one gentle finger. He had a focused expression which made his boyish features look more mature, showing then his actual teenage years.

«There!» He exclaimed, coming near Eren and showing him the content of the book. The brunet then saw a large illustration about a very deep and extended mass of water, which seemed to never end and to blend with the sky over the horizon. He took the book from the hands of the blondie, observing the vibrant blues and greens with hungry eyes, in awe. _It looks like the biggest lake ever_ , he thought, running his fingers on the cerulean surface, exploring it like he could actually immerge his finger in the water.

«What is this?» Asked Eren, unable to peel his eyes off of it. He heard Armin laugh a little.

«It’s the sea» he declared. «A never-ending mass of salted water which lays around the continents. Have you ever seen it?»

«Not once in my life» replied the brunet, lightly shaking his head. The _sea_. He might have heard about it at school, but he was not that sure about it. He certainly never experienced it in first person, his parents never brought him out of Shinganshina. «How do you know about it? Where did you find this book?» He inquired, looking at Armin.

«My grandfather wrote it. He was a traveller, going around the globe and taking note of what he saw, both in writing and in painting. If you look at his name, you’ll probably understand who he is» explained the boy, closing the book and leaving only the cover opened, so that the author’s credits would have been visible. Eren let out an amazed exclamation. Regulus Arlert was one of the greatest explorators of the world, his name was behind many of his geography schoolbooks. He then started to understand why they were so rich, they were basically related to a superstar.

«My father is trying to keep up with the tradition, so when he is around collecting material for his new articles, he also keeps a journal of the places he visits. He wants to extend my grandfather’s note a little bit» Armin added. Eren’s amazement for the Arlerts skyrocketed. They surely did not deserve all the bad treatment they got from the gossip, just because the family held important names in it. They all looked so hardworking and intelligent, no doubt they would have instilled envy in the bored inhabitants of the neighbourhood.

«Your family is amazing» Eren commented, giving him the book back. Armin shrugged, while the smile on his lips got a bit colder.

«Are they» he murmured, uncomfortably fidgeting. «I never see them for more than a week, once a month. They are always so busy with work, they don’t have time to waste here» he commented. «But I get why they are all so passionate about their work: seeing the world makes you feel free and at peace. It’s like you’re part of something much bigger and raw, or even being in contact with the deepest parts of you soul. And, obviously, you may never know what kinds of beautiful landscapes are all around, just waiting to be seen. I got the idea from all the illustrations I saw in the books, but I bet it’s nothing like the real thing. I wish I could see it with my own eyes, especially the sea» Armin said, his expression regaining warmth. «I can’t wait to be old enough to travel on my own and see what’s over the garden wall. I bet it’s beautiful, out there» he added, smiling. Eren just looked at him for a brief moment, pondering his words. He somehow guessed that Armin must not have had much confidence in his own importance as a person, if he thought that his parents “wasted time” in being there with him. But the brunet admired him nonetheless, especially for his firm determination to go out and see the world. He had a clear idea of what he would have been doing, while growing up. Something that Eren definitely lacked, mostly because he never used to think in advance.

«Well, the school isn’t that much of a sight, I have to tell you» he replied, making the boy laugh genuinely. «And some of the classmates aren’t, either. But there are some pretty girls, though», he added, laughing with the blondie.

«I like you, Eren» said Armin, with contentment in his eyes. «I’m glad I handed over my napkin to you, yesterday».

«I’m glad you did, too» replied the brunet, smiling.

Eren soon became a habitual acquaintance in the Arlerts’ manor. He reached for the gate every day after school, having lunch with Armin and then having him help him with his homework. The blond was eager to measure his knowledge with the public school’s programs and Eren was more than happy to have his job eased enough to comfortably sit in class all day without worrying about not getting something. There would always have been Armin explaining it to him, later. During recess, he sometimes waved his hand towards the garden wall, knowing his friend would have been watching and smiling on the other side.

Eren’s parents were more than happy to see their son getting along with Armin, being utterly satisfied that their behaviour proved them right all along: the Arlerts were definitely _not_ the bad creatures that the neighbourhood painted them to be. They even managed to get Armin to stay a couple of days with them, once a month. It was a time which the blondie appreciated a lot, feeling part of a real family for once. His friendship with Eren grew so much, to the point they soon started to consider each other like a brother, talking about hopes and dreams over the hot tea and sweet cakes that the housekeepers provided them with at night, with a smile, when Eren slept over at his friend’s house. They spent so much time together, that none of them could fathom to imagine his life without the other.

That was, up until one day Grisha Jaeger got home and declared that he had been transferred to the university of the city of Eldia and that they had to move, the sooner the better. Eren fought against that decision with all his might: he yelled and cried and rendered his father’s life impossible for as long as he managed, but it was useless. The Jaegers would have moved anyway, he just had to accept it. He even tried to propose taking Armin with them to the other city, but both his parents opposed such decision. It was not their place to take Armin in without the permission of the Arlerts, which might have had other plans for him, anyway.

The weight of such feelings of impotence and pain proved to be a lot to bear, for Eren. He came to the manor day after day, feeling his chest more and more heavy, to the point that his friend noticed and started to worry. But he simply could not face the outcome of the terrible news he had to share, not with him. He lied many times, saying that he was just tired because of the finals and hoped Armin got along with that. But deep down, he knew he never did.

On the last day of his permanence in Shinganshina, Eren did not go to the mansion, straight after school. He went looking for the plant of lilies in the park near his house. He ventured there just to pick one, single flower. He always loved lilies, he found them pleasing to the eyes and their perfume not as heavy and intoxicating as the other flowers. Then, caring not to ruin the flower while reaching out for the mansion, he walked to the manor, trying to prepare a discourse in his head, but failed to remember it every time. Mostly, because tears started to cater under his eyes, threatening to spill like an overflowing sink, all along his sun-kissed cheeks. When he got in front of the gate, he felt his chest ache so much, his breath shortened. He pressed his finger on the button, hearing the bell ring inside for which would have been the last time, for a long time. He saw Armin running to the gate, with a relieved expression on his face.

«Eren!» He exclaimed, pulling the iron bars towards himself. «It’s so late, I thought you weren’t coming, today» he added, pulling him into a hug, expressing his happiness in seeing his friend through physical contact. Being showered with such care and affection, Eren finally burst out crying. He hid his face, sobbing on Armin’s shoulder, unable to move.

«Hey, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?» Asked the blondie, gently patting his back, trying to comfort him. The brunet shook his head, sobbing, while he distanced himself from the boy, wiping away the tears from his face with the back of his wrist. He then handed over the flower to his friend, trying not to sob again.

«This is my favourite flower. Please, plant it when it dies out, so that it will keep you company» he sputtered, frustrated at his own tears which did not want to stop, even if he was doing his best to keep them from falling. Armin took the flower from his hands, with visible confusion on his features.

«Alright, I will, but why are you crying? There was no need to get emotional for th…»

«I’m leaving tomorrow, Armin. My father has been transferred to Eldia and we need to follow him there» Eren confessed, finally looking his friend in the eye, through the veil of tears and sharp pain that was piercing his heart. The sight of the many emotions passing on Armin’s feature was even more hurting than saying that out loud. The brunet saw shock turning into slight anger and then bloom into acute pain, as the blondie’s ocean eyes got watery and his cheeks and nose reddened more than the usual. It was like watching the whole gradient of the sky during sundown, in the exact moment where one side is still blue, while the other is dripping red. Eren could not avoid thinking that his friend looked pretty even when displaying such unpleasant emotions. A true prince, in spite of all those legends which wanted him to be a hideous monster.

«Why didn’t you tell me before?!» Armin cried, raising his voice for the first time since Eren knew him. The sudden change startled him, which was not anticipating such fire from his docile figure.

«I tried to, but I just couldn’t, I’m sorry!» Replied the brunet. «I tried everything! I fought with my father, I fasted, I even asked them to take you with us to the new city… but it was useless. They’re adamant, I don’t know what to do, anymore! I never wanted to go in the first place, I… I can stay here if you want» exclaimed Eren, when a sudden plan was starting to line up in his overworked mind. «I can hide here, and…» but he was interrupted by the sudden hug he received from Armin, for the second time in the span of minutes. He just blinked a couple times and sniffed his nose, while he heard his friend sighing over his shoulder.

«Stop it, Eren, it’s enough» said the blondie, suffocating a sob. «That’s why you’ve been acting so weird, lately. You could’ve just told me, I would have prepared» he complained, tightening the hug. The brunet could not do anything but running his hands on his friend’s back, trying to comfort him, while putting his chin on his shoulder. He imposed himself not to cry again, not while Armin was sobbing on him. He loathed that moment. He hated seeing pain being inflicted to other people. He resented his father’s job with every inch of his being. None of that would have happened if he would have been just an ordinary doctor for the city of Shinganshina. But that was not the plan. He needed to be a damn professor.

«You’re so dumb, you can’t plant lilies and expect them to grow like that» said the blondie, sniffling. «I need bulbs» he added, while distancing himself from Eren, drying his tears with his hand. He offered a sad smile to his friend, trying not to make him feel guiltier than he was already feeling.

«We can buy them together, we can go to the florist’s» proposed the brunet, taking the boy’s hand. «Let’s go now» he encouraged, pulling his arm towards the street. Armin just contemplated his friend in silence for a couple of seconds, cherishing the company that he would have been so soon deprived of. He tried to memorized highest number of details possible, just like he would have been while looking at a painting. He tried to remember the way his eye glimmered with enthusiasm, or the way he gestured with his hands, the amber shade of his skin under the sun. Everything.

«Alright» he agreed, walking hand in hand with him, for the last time.


	2. Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Five years later, Eren and Armin reunite again. But nothing goes as expected.

_«Wanna believe, wanna believe  
That you don't have a bad bone in your body  
But the bruises on your ego make you go wild, wild, wild, yeah  
Wanna believe, wanna believe  
That even when you're stone cold, you're sorry  
Tell me why you gotta be so out of your mind, yeah»_

**Halsey feat. Marshmello** – Be Kind

Five years later, Eren enrolled to the Trost University College, to attend the Diplomacy courses of the faculty. He was nineteen years old and he changed a lot, during those years. His chocolate hair grew up to his shoulders, so much that he used to keep it tight in a bun at the back of his head. His big emerald eyes had grown more distant and sharper, his harmonious features matured in those of a dashing young man. A veil of painful nostalgia covered each and every look coming from his face, along with a detached expression.

Life had not been kind to Eren Jaeger, especially after his family left for Eldia. That last day at the Arlerts’ manor would have been one of the few happy memories remained for him, even if it tasted bittersweet and prickled the eyes every time. The brunet often recalled planting the bulbs together, eating home-made ice-cream together and crying together with his best friend many times. They had promised each other to send letters, if not every day, the soon as possible and as many times it could have been permitted by the local post offices. None of them that day wanted to finally face the fact that their time was limited and that they did not know when or _if_ they would have met again. Eren had felt his heart break, when he had seen Grisha waiting for him on the other side of the gate. He had known he was going to lose something important, with the sight of that bucolic background and his sun-child best friend.

But that pain-staking memory was not the only scar on the brunet’s heart. His mother died by accident and his father got lost on a plane crash soon after their arrival in Eldia, leaving him completely alone at the age of sixteen. His naïve and hopeful dreams were crushed by the heavy weight of those responsibilities that his shoulders were far too little to carry by themselves. He faced those moments being half-present to himself, an empty look on his face, not knowing whose were the hands that patted his head, or to whom the pitiful voices reassuring him belonged.

His whole future got shut down in the span of weeks: the two most important figures of his life left him at a critical moment of personal growth. Without any proper guidance nor direction, Eren just survived, the best way he could. He had been living in hostels, working two jobs at once, just to keep a roof over his head and pay for his schoolbooks. He had no living relatives, he had been left completely alone and by himself. The double loss of his parents left him deeply scarred, to the point that his world inevitably darkened, casting a grim shadow on everything he laid his eyes on. He seldomly smiled at all, he abandoned all his hobbies and interests.

He had only one friend, a girl called Mikasa, which he met when he moved to the youth hostel of Eldia. That was the only human relationship he cared to keep and nurture, even if the image of a golden wheat head and ocean eyes often invaded his mind. The only nice dreams he rarely had, were the ones mixed with memories of the Arlert mansion, when he was fourteen. They exchanged letters for the first months, but then chaos disrupted Eren’s life, wiping everything else away. He never replied to Armin’s letters, he did not even tell him his new addresses from time to time. He just let that slide, regretting it painfully when he was in a better mind disposition to face the consequences of his coping mechanisms. He knew he became “a detached, cynical asshole”: that was what Mikasa used to tell him every time he let the worst of him take the lead. He sincerely wanted to change for the better, but his resolution faltered, at times. That was also why he had decided to enrol in that college, investing the money his father left him and that he so carefully avoided to spend for all of his life. He needed to work on himself, to grow intellectually and confront people. And also get a social life back, or else what would have become of him? His mother would have never accepted to see him give up like that. So, he tried his best not to ruin that chance with his own hands, out of fear.

It was not until he attended his first Linguistics course, that he saw _him_. While sitting at the back of the class, Eren spotted a familiar wheat blonde head, which sent his heart to skip a bit. He rose a little from his seat, peeping at his fellow classmate sitting in the front row. He recognized the same elegant posture, but that body was clearly manlier and grown up. They would have been probably the same height, even. Those shoulders were not tight and small, anymore. The thought of having Armin Arlert in the same class tortured him all the lesson long, he did not even catch a single word from what professor Ackermann was saying about linguistics. Not even the slightly insulting remarks that the lecturer made at the wrong answers of his students managed to pike his interest. He felt like he had just jumped back in time, when he was anticipating his visit over the garden wall, when he had to give Armin his handkerchief back.

When the professor dismissed the class, Eren almost jumped from his seat. He ran a hand to his hair, securing a stray bang into the bun. Then, he took a couple breaths in and approached his classmate, who was putting the books in his backpack.

«Armin?» He asked, waiting for the guy to lift his head. The blondie responded immediately, focusing his gaze on the stranger who just called him. The brunet got mercilessly hit by the change that his friend underwent to: his hair was shorter and his eyes colder. He still retained some of the youthful beauty he owned so valiantly when he was a kid, but it had grown into just a bittersweet lingering perception. He was still handsome, but the nostalgic allure that owned those gentle features bore the mark of pain. _Life hasn’t been kind to you either_ , thought Eren, watching awareness making way into his old friend’s brain, changing curiosity into straight up shock.

«Eren Jaeger?» He replied, with a deeper and modulated voice with a foreign inflection. The brunet distractedly wondered where he could have been, to gain such an accent, but he was left dumbfounded by the hard expression that dawned on Armin’s eyes right after. The blondie shot a glare at him, while putting his backpack over his shoulder and leaving his seat, totally ignoring him.

«Armin, wait!» Exclaimed Eren, grabbing his wrist by impulse. He was utterly surprised by himself, it was like his old self reacted in his place. That young man had stirred something in him that caused his rough shell to crack a little, showing bits of who he was before the tragedy. Armin turned his face towards him, and Eren noticed he was fighting hard to keep his tears in his eyes, cheeks and nose flushed in frustration. He looked angry and deeply hurt, like he had just received physical or verbal abuse.

«Stay away from me» he clearly stated, breaking free from Eren’s grip and running out of the classroom. The brunet just stood there, looking at the place where Armin just fled away, hearing the vague echo of his steps getting weaker and weaker by the seconds. Then, a sharp pain pierced his heart with all its might, having him catch his breath, wondering why.

Later that day, when he was on the phone with Mikasa, Eren told her about his encounter with his childhood best friend. A slight feeling of discomfort dawned on him again, while he mindlessly scratched his chest, his body keeping memory of the hurtful feeling from that morning.

«Armin Arlert? I know him» said the girl, on the other side of the phone.

«What» Eren idly replied. She never told him and she was practically living with her hips attached to his.

«I met him when I worked at the florists’ near your college and we became friends, years ago. He was the only person I tolerated in that store, mostly because he seemed to really care for the plants, he never saw them as decorative objects» she explained. The brunet did not even know they had a florist near the university, but he knew Mikasa collected countless job experiences before being taken in by the local gym as an instructor for self-defence courses. So, it figured, somehow.

«He was especially fond of lilies, he cherished them so much because…» and she paused, recalling the old memory, while Eren stopped breathing again. «Oh, yes, he told me they reminded him of his dearest friend» she added, concluding the sentence with a yawn. «It was so romantic and cute, I have never met a more sensible person than him. Who knew it was your childhood best friend».

Eren told her he had to go study and closed the call, before Mikasa could hear him emotionally collapse on the phone. He had ignored Armin for all that time and he still cherished his memory. It figured why he reacted in such a harsh way, that morning in class. Who knew what he could have thought, when Eren stopped replying to his letters. He even left him alone in that enormous manor, in the first place. And after all that, he still cared for him. What a terrible friend he had been, his old self would have despised him so much. Armin did not deserve that treatment for sure, he had been egoistical enough to get away with the consequences. Despite changing for the worse, he still would have never purposefully hurt someone he loved. He had to make it right.

Eren asked Mikasa to tell him when he could have found Armin at the florists’ and she gave him a fully detailed schedule, sparking up an ounce of anxiety for how much she always went all the way to fulfil his requests. Turned out that the day after their Linguistics class, he would have worked there until midday. It would have been the perfect moment to go to the shop, with the excuse of buying some lilies and trying to at least apologize for what he did. He set up his schedule to get there on time, making sure he could have had enough minutes to prepare himself to face his childhood best friend.

So, Eren did his best to keep himself in good spirits when he opened the glass door that led to the shop. He was welcomed by so many pleasant flowery perfumes that the several scents disoriented him, making his determination falter. He just stood there, admiring the colourful variety of petals and leaves stored up on the shelves and on the floor. Nature was absolutely outstanding, he had to admit.

«Good morning, can I help you?» Armin asked, emerging from the back of the store, while cleaning his fingers from some dirt with his apron. When he lifted his head up and saw who was there in front of him, he froze. A hostile look veiled his ocean eyes, while his hands dropped by his hips, motionless. He clenched his fists, unable to express the rage that was flowing from his figure. Eren noticed that and a quick stagger of pain pierced his heart. Again. He repressed the urge to make a face and pretended nothing happened.

«I, uhm…» he stuttered, running a hand over his messy bun, shifting uncomfortably on his feet. «I would like some potted lilies. Please» he added, flushed with embarrassment. Armin spared a brief, angry look at him, before turning his back on him and going to look for the flowers. _Get it together, Jaeger_ , Eren thought, rubbing his eyes with a bit too much effort, leaving him to see little sparkling circles for a few seconds. When the blondie re-emerged from the back of the store with a beautiful pot of lilies, Eren dunked his hands in the pockets of his jacket.

«Look, Armin, I…»

«Ten coins» he interrupted the brunet, crossing his arms on his chest. Eren just looked at him with frustration.

«Alright, I’ll pay. Can… can we talk?»

«I don’t want to» he shut him off, without even looking at him. «It’s been five years, what could you possibly want to talk about? We’re as good as strangers».

«Yes, but I’d like to explain…»

«There is nothing to explain. We went our separate ways, I get it. I don’t need your pity speech about the poor, lonely Arlert kid that lived in Shinganshina. Now, can you please pay for the flowers, so that I can go back to study my Eldian language book? Thank you» Armin said, looking at him straight in the eyes with hostility. Eren could do nothing but take off his wallet and give him his coins, looking at him in disbelief. The cold stranger who just gave him the lilies could not possibly be his dear friend. There was no trace of the tender son of the sun whose skin smelled like sweet apricots. He had been replaced by a distinguished and cold, distant lord whose eyes were as freezing as one of the north seas, which Eren saw by some pictures Mikasa shown him. Eren merely managed to collect his purchase and leave the shop, discarding the plant in his college room before attending his own lessons. Being rejected in such a hard way was totally new for the likes of him, who was used to be on the other side of the emotional fence. He had just learnt the hard way that good intentions were not always enough, to mend a broken heart.

«Hello! I know you’re still a freshman, but I think you would be well suited to be in our college co-ed basket team, the Titans!»

Eren noticed that the artificial light of the classroom just got covered by something, or _someone_ , whose shadow was casted right on his face and part of his desk. He looked at the person close to him, taking the flier he was offering him. It was still a bit early for class, so he figured that other students could just walk around and interact with each other like that.

«I’m Reiner Braun, a Psychology senior and part of the team. We have just one spot left open and it would be great to have you in our team. Don’t worry, we also have another freshman, you’ll not be dealing with seniors alone» he said, with a friendly scoff. Reiner looked absolutely non-threatening, with his perfectly white and aligned teeth, his short blond hair and the toned, towering body. Eren thought about it, for a second. He liked running and moving around freely, and he also thought that a sporting activity would be a good way to lay off some of the stress that college life was putting over him. More than that, he deemed himself to be tall enough not to feel like a midget between the senior giants.

«Alright, I think I will come to the training… later» he agreed, looking at the time of their usual meeting printed on the flyer, which was at seven pm. That sparked an enthusiastic light in Reiner’s eyes.

«Great! See you at the gym!» He said, vigorously patting Eren’s shoulder before leaving. The brunet left out a heavy sigh, thinking that he was really putting effort in creating an actual social life around him.

When Eren entered the gym with the team’s uniform on, he immediately spotted that one teammate he least expected to see there, which widened his ocean eyes in disbelief.

«You’ve _got_ to be kidding me» said Armin Arlert, visibly disappointed by the sight of his childhood friend. Eren knew he was totally entitled to that attitude, but it was starting to stir up some nerves in him.

«Yeah, well I didn’t expect you to be here, either» he replied, lining himself next to a blonde girl who looked definitely bored. She did not even make the effort to acknowledge him, keeping her gaze unfazed in front of her.

«I know I’m not that tall, thanks» commented Armin again, crossing his arms. The brunet did not manage to contribute to their banter, because the whole buzz was killed by Reiner coming into the gym, accompanied by an even taller man which was not wearing the basket team uniform. Rainer introduced him as “Bertholt”, his best friend who just majored in Medicine and that would not have been part of the team anymore, but who would have come to help him manage it, from time to time. Then, he asked for a round of names and divided the team in couples, passing a ball each and instructing them on how to pass it to one another.

Armin and Eren got grouped together and that was not looking promising at all. The blondie tended to pass the ball with a tad too much force to the brunet, which had to catch it and not passing it with the same amount of strength.

«Will you hear me, now?» Asked Eren, while making the ball bounce, before passing it.

«Why should I?» Replied Armin, catching the ball and repeating the exercise himself.

«Okay, Armin, you’re angry and it’s absolutely your right to be…»

«Less talking, more bouncing! Come on, peeps!» Reiner interrupted their chat, prepping them to focus more on the actual task at hand. They shut up for a few seconds, waiting for him to pass over them.

«I have been an insensible bastard for not replying to your letters, but look, life wasn’t easy for me either» said Eren again, lowering his voice. His teammate scoffed, sincerely amused.

«Oh right, because it’s always everything about you, Eren» replied the blondie, passing him the ball with too strong a bounce, Eren had to jump to catch it safely.

«I don’t understand why you’re so mad about this, I’m saying I’m sorry! I actually tried to, multiple times, but you kept on shutting me off! You’re behaving like a spoiled kid, only because you can’t possibly fathom a harder life than yours!» Spouted Eren, getting carried away by his own repressed anger. «That’s just because you’ve been alone for most of your existence! Well, newsflash, Armin, _we_ struggle too!» Exclaimed him then, while passing the ball on to Armin. He did not catch it, while it bounced away from them, rolling to the other side of the gym. The blond was silent, his fists clenched near his hips, his head turned down. Eren was about to question his methods and to muster up some half-assed excuses, but the sharp pain of a pair of knuckles colliding with his lips shut him off, making him fall on the ground with a thump.

« _Your_ life was hard, Eren Jaeger?» Replied Armin, going feral. «You were the only damned friend I’ve ever had and you _left_ me! Yes, it wasn’t your fault, but _you_ broke _your promise_ to keep writing me letters and you have absolutely _no idea_ of how much I worried over that! I even thought something bad could have happened to you!» He explained, catching his breath. «Well, I can clearly see you’re perfectly healthy, you were just being a whiny, emotional _asshole_!» He then yelled, not caring about the fact that the whole team stopped its training session. «And you’re telling me you’re _struggling_? Both my parents died in an accident two years after you left for Eldia and no other relative gave a damn about it! Turns out, they had lots of debts with a lot of people and I had to sell _everything_ , to pay them! I still have to do _three_ damn jobs to pay the minimum expenses that this damned college scholarship is not covering and I’m just nineteen years old! But I never complained about how hard my life had been, not even once! Not even when the whole neighbourhood of Shinganshina made fun of my parents the day of their funeral!» He added, not caring about the tears falling off of his eyes. «And _you_ say you have it hard? _How dare you_. My parents were right, when they told me not to get attached to anyone, when I was little. I never want to see you again, Eren Jaeger» he declared, his anger dripping from the tears in his eyes, while stomping out of the gym. The whole basketball team looked at Eren with dumbfounded expressions, while he was just sitting on the floor with a hand on his split lip, too shocked to react.

«Reiner, it was about damn time you brought some drama into this boring-ass team» said the other girl in the group, a brunette with lots of freckles on her cheekbones, visibly amused by the whole situation.

«Freshmen» sighed the blonde, while resuming her training session like nothing happened.

«Jeez guys, if you had such bad blood, you could have just told me» said Reiner, while helping Eren up on his feet. «Thank you for coming to the training, today. I’d like you to stay, but I think Bertholt should help you with that split lip» he said, gesturing his friend to come near them. «It will be better next time» he added, patting Eren on his shoulder, gently this time.

« _If_ there’s going to be a next time» retorted the brunette.

Later at night, that day, Eren just looked at his potted lilies, unable to think about anything else other than Armin’s argument. _He did not know_. How could have, when hell broke loose into his own life, too. He had just disappeared from his friend’s life, thinking about his own painful situation and dealing with his personal losses. He could have never possibly fathomed that Armin was having had a hard time, too.

He could have wildly guessed it, the first time he saw him again, when he sensed pain in his eyes, even before they looked at him. But Eren could have never known the fully extent of his friend’s scars, if he did not give him the opportunity to see them. He felt deeply sorry for his friend. He sincerely cared for him, even if he had never replied to his letters and his mind got clouded by the sticky darkness that was still struggling to leave him. It was inevitable to change and grow up at some point, but his affection for Armin stayed the same. He had never forgotten him, not even once, not even in his darkest times. Actually, the sunny image of his happy childhood friend over the garden wall was what kept him sane and with a grain of hope for a better future. Sighing, he reached for the petals of the lily with his fingers, while the image of a younger Armin was running before his eyes. They were so happy, then. Why life had to make everything harder for both of them?

Eren was deeply immersed in his musings, when he heard a delicate rap on the door. Maybe it was Mikasa, or Reiner and Bertholt checking up on him. That was what friends were for, checking on the injured ones. He yawned and stretched, before opening up the door. Much to his surprise, he saw Armin Arlert fidgeting uncomfortably, with his eyes peeled to the ground. The least expected person he imagined to see, that night. All he felt was a deep, affectionate longing for his long-lost friend, nothing less and nothing more. He felt his nose prickle, when he watched Armin assuming the same posture he held when they were little and he wanted to apologize for eating the last spoonful of Eren’s favourite ice-cream flavour.

«I… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have…» and he was caught mid-sentence in the tight hug in which Eren trapped him. He was still smelling of honey and apricots, after all that time. The brunet buried his face in his friend’s neck, feeling the closest to home he ever felt in years. Armin just stood there, puzzled for a few seconds, acknowledging his friends’ strong arms over him and his amber scent. He stopped breathing for a moment, before bursting into tears and heavy sighs. Eren patted his back, while resting his chin on his shoulder, not moving. He let his friend cry and sob and wail, letting out all the pain he buried for all of those years, trying to make up for the cold absence he provided him with, even if not fully consciously. He regretted every given letter he never replied to, all the moments of his life that his friend missed, everything.

«Please, don’t leave me again. You’re the only family I have left» sighed Armin, wiping his tears off with the sleeve of his oversized hoodie. «I’ll kill you, if you do» he threatened, softly punching Eren’s back and making him laugh. The brunet pried himself from the hug and patted his golden-wheat hair with tenderness.

«I won’t. I’ll stay right here, by your side» he declared, smiling for the first time after many, many years. «That’s what family is for, isn’t it?»

«I guess?» Shrugged the blondie, smiling back. They both kept silent and averted their gazes for a couple of seconds, absorbing each other's presence like they did when they were teens.

«Armin?» Eren called, making his friend tilt his head, as a sign of given attention. «Did you ever go over the garden wall? Did you manage to go to the sea?»

Armin’s eyes finally glowed, while slowly nodding. He walked inside his friend’s room, looking around with curiosity. He heard Eren close the door behind them, walking towards the chair over his desk.

«Yes, I did. Countless times» asserted the blond, looking at the brunet with a warm, heartfelt smile. In a moment, the beautiful, sunkissed kid from Shinganshina was back again, right in front of Eren. It was almost like they never got separated in the first place, being still there in the Arlerts' manor during a lazy afternoon. «It’s beautiful. We should go, sometimes».

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so, this two-chapter bucolic thingy is done. Wanted to mess it up a little before the happy ending, as Ymir would say "it was about damn time it got some drama".   
> I would just like to thank everybody who read it, even if while passing by. And special thanks to @ittybittytidbits, who kindly bookmarked this fic, this really surprised me and made me absolutely happy!

**Author's Note:**

> I basically just wanted to write about a countryside Armin, whose hair looked like a wheat field and his skin perfumed of apricots. I guess my had just slipped while I was writing and listening to Halsey's song. They all still live in the world of SNK, but they just have no walls nor Titans. In this chapter, both Armin and Eren are fourteen years old, tho. I also think I might have messed up the tags, because even I can't quite categorize this properly. Oh well.
> 
> Since I'm not an English native speaker and this is the first fanfic I write both in English and for the SNK fandom, I apologize in advance for any kinds of formal mistakes. I'd be more than happy to be noticed of any errors, so that I can correct them and improve!


End file.
